Pyrisitia nise

Mimosa yellow
P. n. nise, Jamaica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Pyrisitia
Species:	P. nise
Binomial name
Pyrisitia nise (Cramer, [1775])[1]
Synonyms
Papilio nise Cramer, [1775] Pieris neda Godart, 1819 Eurema nise Eurema neda Eurema sulla Weymer, 1890 Terias porteri d'Almeida, 1930 Terias joannisi Dufrane, 1947 Terias joannisi ab. minor Dufrane, 1947 Terias joannisi ab. marginata Dufrane, 1947 Terias joannisi ab. obliterata Dufrane, 1947 Terias tenella Boisduval, 1836 Terias nisella Felder, 1862 Terias perimede Prittwitz, 1865 Terias tenella ab. alcides d'Almeida, 1913 Terias tenella f. germana d'Almeida, 1921 Terias tenella f. jacarepaguana d'Almeida, 1921 Terias tenella f. panopea d'Almeida, 1921 Terias lepidula d'Almeida, 1921 Terias thymetus f. cordobensis Köhler, 1923 Terias tenella ab. cissa d'Almeida, 1928 Terias thymetus f. formosanus Jörgensen, 1935 Eurema larae f. ricardi Torre & Alayo, 1953 Terias nelphe R. Felder, 1869 Eurema venustula Staudinger, 1876 Terias linda Edwards, 1884 Terias neda f. fusca Giacomelli, 1915 Terias tenella ab. argia d'Almeida, 1928 Eurema frieda Baumann & Reissinger, 1969 Eurema frieda f. discopunctata Baumann & Reissinger, 1969

Pyrisitia nise, formerly known as Eurema nise, the mimosa yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from Argentina north to the Texas Gulf Coast and southern Florida. It is an occasional stray to central Texas and south-eastern Arizona and rarely to southern California, southern Colorado and Kansas. The habitat consists of brushy woodland edges.^[2]

The wingspan is 29–51 mm (1.1–2.0 in). Both sexes are yellow. The upperside of the forewing has narrow black outer edges. Black margins of the hindwing are uncommon in males, but always absent in females. Adults are on wing from May to August in southern Florida, September to November in southern Texas and all year round in the tropics. Adults feed on flower nectar.^[2]

The larvae feed on Mimosa pudica.^[2]

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:^[1]
Pyrisitia nise nise (Jamaica)
Pyrisitia nise stygma (Boisduval, 1836) (Peru, Ecuador)
Pyrisitia nise tenella (Boisduval, 1836) (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Argentina, Paraguay)
Pyrisitia nise larae (Herrich-Schäffer, 1862) (Cuba)
Pyrisitia nise nelphe (R. Felder, 1869) (Mexico, Panama)
Pyrisitia nise floscula (Weeks, 1901) (Bolivia, Argentina, Peru)

References

1. Eurema, Site of Markku Savela
2. Butterflies and Moths of North America